Beauty Book Club: Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes.
It's Beauty Book Club time again and this month I'm talking about Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes. Both the author and the book have become fast favourites of mine. Hughes is a no nonsense beauty obsessed journalist who has been in the industry for twenty five years, so you know she knows what she's talking about. This is her second book. I love Sali's way of writing, it's almost like you're having a chat with a girlfriend about makeup. The idea of this book is genius, I really don't know why it wasn't thought of sooner. Each page tells the story of a different beauty product throughout history. It's a must have for any beauty addict. There really is something for everyone in this book, you could pass it along to your Mam, Nana, friend or Daughter and it would stir up memories of beauty's past.
The book is broken up into five different categories; The Icons, The Nostalgics, The Gamechangers, The Rites of Passage and The Future Icons. Each section brings Hughes' wit and personal experiences with the products, experiences that are not so different to our own I'm sure. How many of us have whipped out our glitter roller ball lip gloss in the school bathrooms and thought we were gorgeous?...That's what I thought.
There's also some interesting stories about how particular products came to be. Benetint by Benefit for example was created in 1977 when an exotic dancer walked into the then tiny boutique in San Francisco owned by twins Jean and Jane Ford. She came to them with a beauty problem most of us would probably never even think of. She needed something to make her nipples stand out during her shows on a dark stage. The Ford sisters took on the challenge and voila, one of the most popular beauty products of our time was born. This book is filled with fun information like that and really makes you look at your favourite products twice.
No icon is too big or too small, too expensive or too cheap for this book, if it has made an impact it's in here. You turn the page after reading about Johnson's baby shampoo and are greeted with the extortionate Creme De La Mer, Hughes is no beauty snob. Sali's passion for all things beauty shines through in these pages, the amount of research that must have went into creating this is just astronomical. To tell the history, a personal story or a funny anecdote about four hundred and two beauty products is a credit to Sali's obsession and we must all bow down.
Some of the makeup, skincare, hair care or body care in this book may seem surprising. How is Vaseline a ground braking beauty item I hear you ask. Well if you think about it Vaseline is a real bread and butter product in the beauty industry with so many uses. A tub of it is sold every thirty nine seconds. It was the first of it's kind and without it, we'd all be fumbling around with unruly brows and chapped lips. Attractive!.
Every time I take my favourite long walk down the beauty aisle I'm finding that I'm noticing more and more products from the book. Hughes has really made me open my eyes to new finds. What is also interesting is that, like fashion, the older products are coming back into style. Something seemingly boring like a bar of pears soap is now part of the huge craze of creating soap brows. This book is an encyclopedia of all things beauty and is great for references or just dipping in and out of over a cup of tea. It's informative, interesting, funny and you'll feel like you have made a new friend in Sali Hughes. This is my favourite book I've read all year.
You can find this masterpiece here
Until Next Time,
Go Forth and Be Fierce.
The Beauty Psycho
xoxo.
